Video Active and the European Digital Library EDL International Conference Frankfurt am Main, 31/1-1/ Sonja de Leeuw

Main objectives Creating access to Europe’s television heritage Reflecting the cultural and historical similarities and differences of television across the European Union Accompanying the selected content by analysis (in cooperation with ETHN) Presenting the selected content using metadata For our target users: Education General Public Cultural Heritage Creative industries

The consortium 14 members from 10 countries 11 content providers / 10 languages

Associate members VRT (B) Moving Images Communications (UK) INA (FR)

Using the European knowledge space Recognizing the high cultural and social impact of audiovisual media and television in particular Focus on television: a very productive cultural space in Europe addressing both national and European dimensions (and global as well) Audiovisual heritage = collective memory Video Active meets the need for awareness of diversity of European cultures and identities and the demand for historical knowledge in general

Description of data Television Archive Content ( items): -Earliest recordings of TV on film and (filmed) TV programmes *reflecting the cultural and historical similarities and differences of television from across the European Union *demonstrating new technological developments in TV *development of common TV genres *televised historical moments that have shaped collective memory *examining changes in everyday life and influence of media -Other data such as clippings from TV guides and stills

Added value: comparison COMPARISON IS KEY Exploring and showing the cultural and historical differences and similarities of television in Europe HISTORY OF TELEVISION IN EUROPE + EUROPEAN HISTORY ON TELEVISION

Added value: comparison Comparative survey of the television holdings of archive partners and of the right issues involved (based on a questionnaire) We found: Different programmes in different genres for different periods and different right issues Approach: Thematic approach to content selection Development of common metadata schema

Added value: comparison Development of a grid containing a large agreed list of topics over six decades (over 30) First explorative research on five topics, discussed at consultation conference: 1.Emigration/immigration 2.Leisure 3.Sexual revolution 4.Drugs/alcohol 5.National holidays

Added value: comparison Consolidation of thematic approach as content selection strategy, exploring new topics such as Controversial Programming Television about television European integration Wars/Conflicts Education Religion Food/Drinks

Added value: metadata = context The need of consistent information on the selected content: new and extensive metadata for each item: Abstract, audio, video Catalogue data: who, when, where, what … Production information (colour, outside...) Significance (exceptional; national/European) Classification (genre and topic)

Metadata = context For search (browsing) and for presentation Historical Social When and where (and who) Technological Search: for any part of the context Browse: within a context Find: results presented with context Relationships between data

Added value: signifying practice Content selection policy and metadata:  cultural and historical significance  diversity of genres, periods  analysis of content selected Portal is mediated platform allowing for comparative research into European television history Co-operation between TV historians and archives Editorial strategy: high quality contextual material and articles

Added value: signifying practice Editorial strategy Long articles: European comparative dimension Programmes: mediating European identities Development of comedy genre Trade and formats Short articles: on anything Intro of colour TV in Austria Portable equipment and the search for a new documentary style The start of TVC in Spain

Video Active in Europe Individual archives National ambitions (Dutch ‘Images for the future’) European digital library and the European library (technical access and interoperability through new protocol: NTUA) FIAT/IFTA And of course Youtube, Myspace and Flickr: tags, but no metadata, no context!

Thank you Sonja de Leeuw (Project Co-ordinator) - Utrecht University, the Netherlands Johan Oomen (Technical Director) Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision